Whisper White vs. Very Vanilla

Posted on June 11, 2014 by mauistamper

Do you select between Whisper White and Very Vanilla intentionally or randomly? Sometimes I really think about it, and other times I just grab the one that’s closest at hand. I started this card with Very Vanilla, but as soon as I stamped the first tone I wanted to see what it would look like on Whisper White. At that point it was just as easy to make both cards, and so I did:

Stamps: Work of Art, Too Kind, Memorable Moments or Regarding Dahlias
Color Palette: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White or Very Vanilla
Accessories: Honeycomb TIEF, Pool Party Seam Binding (retired)

Here’s the Vanilla Version:

I see a substantial difference between the two. In my eyes, the colors are much crisper and cleaner on Whisper White. I guess I should know that, but it was something I hadn’t really thought about. Very Vanilla changes the color of the ink.

Have some fun experimenting on your own. I don’t think you would see the same dramatic result if you were working with warm colors – Tangerine Tango, Tangelo Twist and Pumpkin Pie, for example. I’ll think more purposefully about my neutrals now.

A Car(d) in a Box

Posted on March 3, 2014 by mauistamper

My buddy Isaac turns 3 today. His mama and dad had a party for him yesterday, and since his mama is also my stampin’ buddy, I wanted a card that would surprise and delight:

Isaac reminds me so much of my son at that age…he’s all about things with wheels. His card needed wheels, and to be a real race car, of course it had to be Red. Not just any red, but Real Red. (If Stampin’ Up! made Ferrari Red, that is what I would have used.)

Stamps: Rev Up the Fun and Memorable Moments (the 3)
Color Palette: Real (Ferrari) Red, Basic Black, Whisper White and Gumball Green
Accessories: Circle punches, Fringe Scissors, Simply Scored, Window Sheets, Bird Punch

I’ve done a few of these cards, though this is the first one I’ve shared. The trick for me is balancing the height of all the elements. I used thin strips of window sheet to float the motorcycles so you could see them behind the race car.

The candles are really fun…I use the top leaf from the bird punch branch to make the flame, layer flame colors with Stampin’ Write markers, and then use Tombo (the wonder adhesive) to secure them to the back of the candle.

I added a little grass just to break up the dizzying effect of the Modern Medley DSP and the tire tracks. Plus the fringe scissors are just plain fun to play with!

A card like this needs a custom envelope:

Ready in a flash with the envelope punch board! I used a retired set of Sizzlets to cut the letters for his name, since that Real (Ferrari) Red Polka Dot Parade DSP is so bold! You can tell it’s hand made, because despite my scientific effort his name is off-center.

Cheryl and I are planning a class on these cards for March 30. If you live on Maui or will be here for a visit, let me know if you’re interested! Details are coming soon.

Happy Birthday to one Super Guy!

Introducing the New RemARKable Pin-Worthy Blog Tour!

Posted on January 9, 2014 by mauistamper

Pinterest is my favorite Black Hole on the internet – I have spent hours there looking at anything and everything. Our new tour features a Pin-Worthy theme every month and we are starting off with a flourish on the theme of True Love – or as our fearless leader Jan puts it, “Lovey-Dovey”.

Our Crumb Cake note-card sized envelopes have been on my desk lately – I’m SUPPOSED to be making (and sending!) thank-you notes! The new Retro Fresh DSP (that’s Designer Series Paper to the uninitiated) paper pack has Crumb Cake in its color palette, so it seemed a natural pairing:

Stamps: Yippee Skippee, Petite Petals
Color Palette: Whisper White, Real Red, Crumb Cake and Coastal Cabana
DSP: Fresh Prints
Accessories: Deco Labels Framelites, Petite Petal Punch, Dimensionals, Rhinestones

Love those Petite Petals from the new Occasions catalog – and they are bundled with the coordinating punch. I’m a sucker for deals like that 🙂

There’s something about these Crumb Cake envelopes that begs for lining. I played with all the patterns before choosing this open, floral pattern. Honestly? I just liked it the best.

On the inside I added a sentiment from Memorable Moments – I love that the words are separate (Happy and Anniversary – there’s also a Birthday stamp). No Stamp-a-ma-jig this time, just stamp-a-ma-GO!

I was inspired by this sketch – it’s this week’s Mojo Monday Sketch – so I made a second card with it using the same color palette:

Out with Real Red and in with Pool Party and Baked Brown Sugar. A minor change like that makes a major difference, don’t you think? This is still Retro Fresh DSP. Piercing seems to be out of trend right now, but I’ve always loved how it adds texture and design without adding color, so I pulled out my Piercing Tool (aka Pokie Doodle) and the guide. It also reflects the little dots on the DSP (really, I planned it that way.)